Wolf Heart Behind Brown Eyes
by Songsa
Summary: Kouga wants to be with Kagome but his plans don't go right. He gave up his demon blood for her. Now, Ayame wants to help him get his demon blood back. However, his heart continues to yearn for Kagome. Full summary inside. KougaAyame and some KougaKagome
1. Prologue: From Wolf to Man

**Just so you know, during the first part and last part of this chapter, it will be written out as Kouga's Point Of View. This will not be how the whole story will be written, just this chapter. So here it goes, my first and probably last Kouga/Ayame fic. Enjoy.**

**Summary: ****Naraku has finally been defeated and now Kouga wants to spend the rest of his days with Kagome. However, a short conversation with Inuyasha got him thinking: How can he show Kagome how much she means to him? What does he have to give? Kouga comes down with the decision to give up the most important thing in the world for Kagome… his demon blood. But what happens when things don't go according to plan and he's left alone as a human without his comrades or his pack? He joins a group of bandits and soon runs into Ayame, who's determined to accompany him on a dangerous journey in hopes of getting his demon blood back, but Kouga isn't too thrilled with having the red wolf for company. And unfortunately for Ayame, Kouga can't seem to get over Kagome and still insists on paying her bittersweet visits every now and then. Kouga/Ayame and a little Kouga/Kagome. (Action, Adventure, Romance, Angst)**

**Chapter 1**

Here I lay, alone, in this vast, open field. The rain pours down on my face and cleans away any dirt that may have stuck to my flesh. After what had happened over the past couple of days, all I could think to do was breathe deeply and wish that I could erase everything. You might be wondering why I'm alone. Why aren't my two comrades, Ginta and Hakkaku with me?

I sigh heavily as I remember my two comrades. I kept telling myself all day that I can't live in the past. What's done is done. To this moment I tell myself that, but unfortunately, I'm not able to take my own advice at this point.

I walk a lonely road now. My shadow is now the only one that walks beside me. My petty hopes and my broken dreams are the only things that seem to keep me going. Why? I don't know. Broken hopes and dreams are usually enough to break down any man, right? So why not me? I'm no different. If anything I'm more foolish then the rest.

For hours I stared at my now mortal hands that once held claws at my fingertips. Replaying the day over and over in my head. Yes, you heard right. I said "mortal hands". You see, today… I've made a horrible mistake, a foolish mistake that I'll never be able to forget. If you want, I'll tell you my story and how I ended up here in this empty field in the pouring rain, as a mere mortal, with no one by my side except my shadow.

**Flash Back**

After a tiring, grueling battle, Naraku had finally met his downfall. Throughout a vast, thick pool of miasma, Kouga and Inuyasha had agreed to put their differences aside, just that once, and work together to defeat the despicable Naraku. Of course that doesn't mean the wild wolf and the half-dog had become friends. The two still disliked each other very much but they no longer HATE each other anymore. All Kouga cared about at that moment was the fact that he had finally avenged the deaths of his fallen men.

No one was exactly sure what had happened to Kagura. She had disappeared, never taking a hit from anyone. Kouga had heard the monk, known as Miroku, say something like "she's off to live on her own, to enjoy her freedom that she has just been given." Kouga didn't really care, though. He got the opportunity to have the feeling of Naraku's blood drip off the tips of his claws and what a feeling it was. With every drop of Naraku's blood that dripped off Kouga's claws and hit the ground it felt as if a drop of Kouga's stress had dropped off along with it and was replaced with relief.

Kouga now found himself facing Ginta and Hakkaku, giving them a sad and heart filled goodbye. Yes, goodbye. Now that Naraku had been defeated, Ginta and Hakkaku no longer needed to accompany Kouga on his journey to find him. Not that they minded it though, but Kouga knew it was in his comrades best interests for them to leave him and join the Southern tribe along with the rest of their surviving comrades. The two, of course, protested against it, but Kouga wouldn't hear it.

Ginta and Hakkaku have always been loyal to him. After all, they were one of the few who chose to stay by his side instead of running off to their unknown deaths just to collect a couple jewel shards. They were his comrades, and just like any comrade would want, Kouga wanted them to be happy. He no longer wanted to tie Ginta and Hakkaku down with him. He wanted them to find mates, start a family, and hunt for a real tribe just like they used to do. The two are very different from Kouga. They've always felt the need to be in a real wolf-demon tribe like the one they used to live in, though, they never told Kouga that, but he knew.

The reason Kouga doesn't want to go with them was that he would have to live under the rules and orders of another demon and he'd be DAMNED if he ever did that. Kouga is a born leader, damn it. Never following orders from anyone except the orders that his own heart gives him. Much like the strong order his heart gives him to be with Kagome. Oh how he still longs to be with Kagome.

Kouga wanted nothing more then to just hug her close, to tenderly kiss her lips, to tell her how much he truly loves her, to make passionate love to her, to wake up in the morning and have children greeting him, his and Kagome's children. The only problem was, she never believes him when he says that he's in love with her. She never has, and Kouga was beginning to fear that she never would. A frown spread across Kouga's hansom features as he remembered words that the mutt had said to him.

**Flash Back (Within A Flashback)**

"Why don't you just give up on Kagome, wolf. There's no way she'll ever love you back," Inuyasha sneered out. An annoyed growl erupted in Kouga's throat.

"Shut up, mutt! I will make Kagome mine and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" growled out Kouga.

"I already have, wolf. Everything I've done for her, all the sacrifices I've made for her, all the times I've risked my life for her. There's _nothing_ you can do to compare to all the things I've done for her. Face it, Kouga. Even if you do love her, there's nothing you can sacrifice to prove it to her," Inuyasha began. "Like I have," he finished in a quiet voice.

**Flash Back (within a flashback) End**

A sharp pang hit Kouga in the pit of his stomach. As much as Kouga hates to admit it, the mutt had a point. Love is all about sacrifices and proving your feelings for the other. But what _does_Kouga have to give up? He still has the jewel shards in his legs, but giving those back to Kagome would probably mean more to the mutt than it would to her.

Kouga sat, now all alone, at the edge of a cliff, dangling his feet over the edge. He had his elbow propped up on his knee with his cheek resting in the palm of his clawed hand. He had the same question running through his mind over and over again. The question of "How can I prove to her that I love her?" Suddenly, an idea dawned on Kouga, A scary, horrific idea, but an idea nonetheless and most likely his only hope of reaching out to Kagome.

Kouga looked down to his demonic clawed hands. He then wrapped his tail around himself and allowed it to rest in his lap so he could take a look at it as well. Kouga is a demon- a demon of honor and he always worked to get what he wanted. This case is no different. He wants Kagome and damn it, he's going to get her, no matter what the cost. Kouga had decided; he is going to give up the most important thing in the world to him…his demon blood.

Kouga knew it could work. He's heard of an old witch who lives deep in a swamp off in the North. It is said that she has mystical powers strong enough to change the sky green if she wanted to. She could definitely change his demonic blood into that of a human's. Besides, he has nothing else to live for anymore. He is no longer Kouga- chief of the Eastern Tribe. No, now he's just Kouga the lone wolf. He is no longer a leader; he no longer has responsibilities to be tied down to. No longer does he have to look out for the welfare of others. He is free now to do whatever he wants and right now, all he wants is to live in a village and start a family with Kagome. Sadly, if he stayed a demon, their kids would be half-breeds, outcasts, having nothing to look forward to in life except constant days of agony and torment. It would be selfish of Kouga to stay a demon and bring more half-breed cubs into the world; it wouldn't be fair to them.

With his mind made up, Kouga jumped up to his feet and took off into the North.

It had been about five or six hours later until Kouga skidded to a stop just outside a small hut. The area around the hut reeked of rotten tree bark, filthy, bubbly water, and oozy, squishy mud. The nasty water was green in color and tall, dark, dead trees were bent over and loomed high above Kouga's head as if they were merely made of rubber. Kouga's nose wrinkled as the foul stench of the murky swamp assaulted his sensitive nose.

"Who goes!" came an old, crackly sounding voice from inside the small hut.

An old lady pushed away the blinds that hung down in the entrance of the hut. She was small in size, probably about five feet or so. Her face was pale and looked very aged. Her hair was snow white and her eyes were gray yet sharp and alert. She wore brown, tattered robes and matching brown slippers that were caked in mud from years of walking through the muddy swamp. The old woman stomped over to the wolf-demon that towered over her.

"Demon, what is your business here?" she asked in a stern voice. Kouga quirked an eyebrow at the bold old hag.

"Uhh…" Kouga couldn't seem to form audible words. Could this be the powerful witch of the swamp that he had heard so much about? The one that can supposedly turn the sky itself green?

"I came to ask you for a favor," said Kouga. The old woman raised her eyebrow.

"What's your name, wolf?" she asked in a slightly agitated voice.

"Kouga." The old woman gave Kouga a slightly surprised look.

"You wouldn't be Kouga, the young leader of the Eastern wolf-demon tribe would you?" the old woman asked in a curious voice. A sorrowful look spread across Kouga's features at her description of him.

"Yeah. Well, former leader," he replied.

"Former leader?" the old woman questioned again, her eyebrow still raised. Kouga was beginning to feel a little agitated with all her questions.

"Long story," he replied curtly. The old woman seemed to get the hint that Kouga really did not want to talk about that subject because she quickly changed it.

"My name is Sawa. What favor do you wish to ask of me, wolf?" asked Sawa, expecting Kouga to say something like "I want to be more powerful," just like all the demons before him have asked. You can imagine how shocked and surprised she was when he came out and said:

"I want to be human." Sawa gave Kouga a completely baffled and disbelieving look. Her nonverbal response irritated the wolf-demon.

"What?" Kouga shouted, losing his patience with the old woman.

"Are you being true to your words, wolf? Do you know what you're asking of me?" Sawa asked in a voice that showed her obvious disbelief. A loud sigh escaped Kouga's throat before he nodded his head.

"I'm in love with a human girl. I want to be with her and now that I don't have to worry about leading a tribe anymore, I can do so. But I can't be a demon anymore because then our cubs would be half-breeds and they would be cast out of society," Kouga explained before he asked: "So, can you do it or not?" Sawa's expression changed to a somewhat sympathetic one.

"Tell you what, wolf. I don't normally do this, but; to willingly give up your demon blood just to be with this human girl proves that you must have a pure heart. So, if this is what you truly want, then I will grant you your wish for free," explained Sawa.

Without another word Sawa turned her back on the former wolf chief and began to walk over toward her hut with Kouga following. When the two arrived in the hut, Kouga sat himself down on a small mat on the floor. He watched as Sawa immediately began to mix up some foul smelling concoction of herbs and roots. Kouga's blue orbs then began to shift themselves around the small room, settling on one item or another every now and then. The room was filled with animal skins of all kinds, potions, demon heads, fangs, roots, herbs, spices and many bottles of all different shapes and sizes.

"Tell me, wolf. Are you absolutely positive about this decision?" asked Sawa without even looking at Kouga. Kouga's eyes settled on the old witch once again. He assumed that Sawa could feel his eyes on her back because she continued. "Turning a demon into a mortal is one thing. It's a great decline in power, which is why it's so easy for me to perform this spell. However, reversing the spell is a whole different story and requires magic that I'm not capable of possessing anymore," Sawa explained as she turned her head slightly to the side to catch a glimpse of the curious wolf-demon from the corner of her eye. "At one time I'd be able to reverse this spell with extreme ease, but alas, I have grown old."

Kouga fixed his gaze down to the brown colored floor and began to think. _Is _this really what he wants? If he stayed a demon, where would he go? Surly he would not live under the rule of another wolf-demon, which is what would probably happen if he decided to join another pack. His pride forbids it. He surly can't expect Ginta and Hakkaku to stay by his sides forever. After all, those two have lives of their own. It wouldn't be fair to them if he asked them to stay with him. He isn't a tribe leader anymore thanks to Naraku. The rest of his pack that had not gone with the Northern tribe had left and joined the Western and Southern tribes after Kouga, Hakkaku, and Ginta set out to find Naraku.

Kouga's eyes narrowed as he went deeper into thought. If he became human, he could show Kagome how much he cares for her, how much he loves her. If he became human, he could start a normal, peaceful family with her. If he became human, he wouldn't have to worry about out living her by hundreds of years. Hell, they can grow old and die together. Now that Naraku has been destroyed, demons in the forests have settled down immensely and rarely attack villages anymore, which mean he wouldn't have much to worry about. However, if a demon did decide to attack their village, he felt pretty sure that he'd be able to drive it off even as human. After all, he's been trained to use a sword for years now. So far, life as a human began to sound better and better to Kouga the more he thought about it.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he finally answered the old woman's question. By this time the old lady had finished her potion. She turned to Kouga, an odd shaped bottle in hand, which contained some disgusting-looking murky, greenish-brown liquid inside. Sawa sat down cross-legged in front of Kouga and presented the bottle to him. As Kouga reached his clawed hand out to seize the bottle, Sawa pulled the bottle away.

"I warn you, wolf. The changing process will not be comfortable to say the least." Kouga merely shrugged his shoulders. How bad could it be? He felt positive that he has gone through worse pain than whatever the old hag was talking about.

Sawa finally extended the bottle outwards to Kouga whom enclosed his clawed hand around the slender neck of it and lifted it to his lips. The disgusting, foul smell that quickly invaded his nostrils as he brought the bottle to his lips was enough to make him feel ill. He had to force the bile in his stomach that was threatening to explode from his throat, down.

Kouga kept the bottle held to his lips as he scanned his eyes down to his clawed fingers, taking one last glace of what they look like. He ran his tongue along his fangs to feel them for the last time before he parted his lips and tilted the bottle to allow the disgusting fluid to flow into his mouth. Midnight-black hair spilled down Kouga's back as he tilted his head back in an attempt to speed up the flow of the liquid. He found himself forcing his body to except the fluid, which his body objected too greatly.

Finally, the last drop of the thick, gross liquid had spilled down his throat. He removed the bottle from his lips and began to study the bottle. An expression of utter disgust was etched on his features. His eyes then shifted to his still clawed hands. He ran his tongue along his fangs, which he still had. Nothing had changed and he felt fine. Kouga was about to ask Sawa about the lack of changes that he was expecting when he felt the liquid drop down into his stomach.

Kouga's azure orbs suddenly bugged out as he felt the instant BURNING sensation of the liquid entering his stomach. His hand immediately unclasped the glass bottle, letting it fall to the floor and shatter into a hundred pieces. Before Kouga could comprehend what was happening he found himself doubled over on the floor and howling in pain. He didn't even feel himself fall to the floor. It was like his body had a mind of its own. One second he was standing up on his own two feet, the next second he was on the floor.

"WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD!" Kouga hollered out, for it was now impossible for him to keep his voice calm. Sawa gave the wolf-demon a look of sympathy but that quickly faded away into a look that seemed to silently ask "Are you stupid?"

"Well what did you expect?" Sawa began. She took notice that Kouga had screwed his eyelids shut tight.

"The sturdy, highly durable bones that you possess now as a demon are weakening and becoming the fragile bones of a human. Your strong demonic muscles are becoming weaker as well, losing tissue and their density. Your tail is withering away and your senses are weakening as we speak," Sawa explained in a disturbingly calm voice.

Kouga couldn't believe it. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Like someone was slowly burning him alive. Torture was a word that couldn't even begin to describe the pain he was witnessing. His eyes were now snapped open wide and his breathing came out in quick, shallow breaths. A cold sweat had begun to bead on his forehead. It wasn't long at all until his whole body was drenched in the cold perspire. Kouga could almost feel his extremely keen sense of smell rapidly wither away. His eyes darted down to his clawed fingers and watched as his sharp, deadly claws began to round and shrink into normal fingernails.

'_It's for Kagome,'_ he kept in mind.

Kouga emitted one last ear-splitting bellow before the immense pain his body was in caused him to lose consciousness and he blacked out.

Consciousness began to slowly return to the young wolf. He had no idea how long he had been out or who was around him for that matter. It felt like a hundred pound weight was sitting on his chest, making it hard to breathe. His body felt heavy. Like his flesh was made of solid stone. He slowly opened his eyes, or at least he thinks he did. For everything remained black and dark.

Kouga couldn't deny the feeling of fear and nervousness that was beginning to rear its ugly head deep within his soul. His eyes were indeed open however for some reason he couldn't see! He couldn't smell and he couldn't hear. In reality Kouga was lying down on a mat that Sawa had rolled him onto when he passed out, but to Kouga, he felt like he was just lying in the dark, in complete blackness.

Like all canine demons, Kouga depended more so on his senses of smell rather than his eyesight. Being blind wasn't what was scaring him. It was the fact that he couldn't smell. He had no idea if he was still in Sawa's hut or if he was lying out helplessly somewhere in the wild where any demon could make an easy meal out of him. With out his sense of smell, he had no idea if Sawa was around him or not. He was nothing more then a lost, defenseless, and helpless wolf.

Kouga made an attempt to lift his arm but found that his muscles refused to respond. He couldn't even move his neck. His body was completely paralyzed. He was nothing more then a rag doll. Kouga then tried to speak, tried to call for Sawa. Kouga opened his mouth but the only audible sound he could make was a hoarse croak.

"Awe, you're awake I see," Kouga heard a familiar voice speak, a voice that no doubt belonged to Sawa.

'_Ok, so I guess I can hear now,'_ he thought to himself. Kouga tried to speak again but it sadly ended in the same result he got last time, a hoarse croak sound.

"Rest child, don't even try to speak. Your body has been through a lot and has undergone a dramatic change. You need rest now," said Sawa in a soft voice that was laced with concern.

Kouga was confused. He didn't understand why he had completely lost his senses. He was positive that humans could see and smell. Not nearly as well as a demon can, but they still have those senses nonetheless. So, why was he blind and couldn't smell anything?

Sawa seemed to have read Kouga's mind because she began to answer those questions.

"You can not move because your body has drastically decreased in strength at such a rapid speed. Your eyesight and sense of smell is only temporarily unusable. Your eyesight has dramatically weakened from its once demon height to the sight of a human. Your body isn't used to the drastic vision change so until it does you will be blind. The same goes for your sense of smell. I assume you will feel much better once you rest," Kouga heard Sawa explain. Kouga suddenly felt a small hand placed gently on his forehead in a comforting way.

"_Sleep,_" Sawa softly commanded. Almost instantly after Sawa spoke, Kouga felt himself slip back into the darkness of sleep before he could try to get another croaked word in.

Kouga opened his eyes once again for the second time. He had no idea how long he had been out for this time but he could here birds, singing happily outside, meaning that it was probably morning. His vision was blurry, but at least he didn't feel like he was lying in the dark anymore. He began to flex his fingers and was delighted to find that he had regained control of his muscles again. The weight that seemed to have been crushing his chest earlier felt like it had been removed and he was breathing much more freely now.

"Good morning, child," Kouga heard Sawa greet. Kouga turned his face to see a blurred out Sawa standing beside him. Kouga began to blink his eyes a few times to eventually clear his vision.

"How's your eyesight?" Sawa questioned.

"I-it's clearing… up," Kouga replied. He was still having a bit of a hard time talking but at least he had a voice now, where as before he couldn't even make a sound if it didn't sound like a croak. Kouga began to slide his eyes close to relax again when realization struck him. His eyelids flew open and he sat up quickly.

"Did it work!" he exclaimed, finding his voice as clear as a bell.

"See for yourself," Sawa replied as she poured some strange, blue liquid on the floor. With a wave of her hand, the liquid solidified and became as clear and reflective as a mirror.

Kouga heaved himself off the mat, but only to collapse down on his knees under the weight of his armor.

"I never realized how heavy this thing is," he grunted as he climbed back up to his feet.

Kouga peered into the mirror and his eyes widened. The stuff definitely worked. The first thing he noticed that was different about him was his eyes. They no longer held the deep, ocean-blue color that they had before. Now they were chocolate brown. His hair had not changed a bit. It still remained straight and black.

Kouga removed his armor from his body and allowed it to fall to the floor at his feet. He began to examine his body for any changes. To his surprise, his body hadn't changed that much at all. It was still looked as strong and as muscular as it always has, but he knew that when it would come to strength, it would be a different story. His deadly claws had been reduced to normal human fingernails. Kouga then opened his mouth wide so he could examine his teeth. He found that his pointy fangs had been shortened and were now regular canines that all humans possess.

Kouga turned his body around half way so he could get a look at his back end. He couldn't help but feel shocked that the brown, bushy tail that he once possessed was now gone.

"You'll notice that you won't be able to carry things as heavy as you used to, like your armor, but in due time you'll build your strength back up," Sawa explained. Kouga wasn't sure if he should feel happy or sad. Sure he could live with Kagome now, but he felt so weak.

"When will you be leaving to find the girl?" Sawa questioned. Kouga grinned. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw him as a human.

"Right now!" he announced proudly.

"Very well, you can leave your armor here if you like so you don't have to carry it," said Sawa. Kouga took Sawa up on her offer and had left the swamp by foot without his armor. He knew it wouldn't be easy getting to Kagome but his determination to get to her burned stronger than ever and that was what gave him the will power to keep going.

By sunset, he had reached "The Forest of Inuyasha." A forest that he knew was near a village where his beloved Kagome would surly be. He took notice that dark rain clouds were beginning to gather overhead but he chose to pay them no mind. As he walked through the thick trees, luck seemed to be on his side, for he caught movement amongst the trees, movement that could only be human.

He walked quietly through the brush toward the figure, making sure not to make any unnecessary noises. His face peered around a tree and his heart soared when he caught site of his beautiful Kagome. She was crouching down along a riverbed and filling a bucket up with the river water. She was dressed in her usual odd clothing: the short green skirt and the white shirt that she wears quite often.

Kouga wasn't sure how he should approach her or even get her attention for that matter. Should he just walk up to her? Would she recognize him? Would he frighten her? He wasn't sure, but he knows that just standing there would not solve any of his questions so he hesitantly spoke.

"K-Kagome?"

Kagome turned her face to lock gazes with the now brown-eyed Kouga. She stared blankly at him for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she dropped the wooden pail, spilling her freshly filled water all over the ground as realization struck.

"K-Kouga?" she replied not quite believing her eyes. Slowly and cautiously, Kouga began walking toward her.

"It's ok, Kagome. It's me. I'm human now," he explained, taking his place in front of Kagome. He still stood much taller then her. She stared up into his now brown eyes.

"But h-how?" She questioned, still getting over this surprise.

"Well, I gave it a lot of thought, Kagome," Kouga began nervously. He raised his hand to gently stroke her cheek.

"And I've decided that I want to be with you. So, I went to some swamp witch and I gave up my demon blood… for you," he continued, hope beginning to fill in his voice. Kouga paused for a second to examine Kagome's face. She definitely looked surprised, that was easy enough to tell.

He felt happy. Finally, after so many attempts for her heart he was finally going to get his woman. He was finally going to win his Kagome's affections.

"I love you, Kagome," Kouga said in a husky voice before he brought his lips against Kagome's for a gentle kiss. He lingered like that for a moment, wanting their kiss to become more passionate, but something was wrong and he felt his heart sink. Kagome was not returning his kiss in the least bit. Her lips remained still.

He slowly pulled away and stared into her brown eyes with much confusion reflecting in his eyes. This definitely isn't going how he planned. He expected Kagome to be happy and feel loved, but instead, she stared back up at him with tears welling up in her eyes and they were not tears of joy. That much he is sure of.

"Why did you do this to yourself, Kouga?" she spoke, her voice cracking with tears.

"I-I love you, Kago-"

"No!" she shouted, cutting him off. "You don't, Kouga. You only think you do. You've only convinced yourself that you love me, but you don't." Those words hit Kouga deep. It must have been his new human emotions because he had never felt so heart broken as he felt at that moment.

"That's not true, Kagome! Look at what I've done for you! If I didn't love you, do you think I would have given up the most important thing to me... for you? I want to be with you."

For a moment, Kagome remained silent. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared sadly up into his face. She seemed to be contemplating what to say to him.

"I'm sorry, Kouga," she whispered as she trained her eyes on the ground. She couldn't bear to meet Kouga's sad eyes. "I'm marrying Inuyasha."

Kouga staggered backward away from Kagome. He felt as if he had gotten slapped in the face. Despite what he had done for her, she still picked the mutt over him. His heart ached. He then forced himself to quickly collect his composure and stand at his full height.

"It's just that-" This time Kouga was the one to cut Kagome off.

"I get it," he said quietly. Kouga sighed deeply before he spoke again.

"I'll leave now, Kagome. I hope you'll be happy with the mutt. So long," he spoke, trying to hide the sorrow in his voice but it was impossible. He then turned his back on the raven-haired girl that he loves and began to walk away, leaving her alone to her thoughts. But before he disappeared into the trees, he turned to face Kagome one last time.

"Kagome," he spoke. She turned her face to him once again.

"In case you're wondering, I don't blame you," he said quietly and turned away. This time he didn't move. He just stood there. He then turned his face to look at Kagome over his shoulder. He took notice that she was still staring at him.

"I still love you," he admitted and this time he walked away and didn't look back, his heart feeling like a block of lead, cold and very heavy.

**Flash Back End**

The cool raindrops poured down my face and it soothed me in a way. Living as a wolf-demon for so long has taught me to appreciate nature, something most humans can't seem to do.

I felt a sudden drop run down my cheek that stood out from the rest of the liquid. Unlike the rest of the water drops, this one felt hot. I lift my hand to my eyes and wiped away some more hot water that seemed to be coming from my eyes.

'_Tears?'_ I mentally question. I can't help but smile at the fact. I'm crying, something I haven't done in years. I find it funny that I can't smell the strong scent of tears like I used to as a demon. Tears have an unusual, salty smell, and now the scent is completely invisible to me.

I had almost forgotten that I'm capable of such a thing as shedding tears, tears of sorrow. I didn't even cry when my comrades were slaughtered. My old demon heart would not allow such emotional feelings to affect me as strongly as my now human heart does.

As I think back on all the times Kagome has rejected me I feel more tears form. The time she told me to leave after we battled Juromeru and Kageromaru. All the times when both Inuyasha and I would get injured in battle and _every time_ she'd run to the mutt, shrieking his name. Now that I think about it, the way she calls his name sounds extremely irritating to me. Probably because it's his name she's calling, not mine. Then there's the time when she thought he was dead. When he fell off that cliff into the flames. It made me sad to see her cry and even more so when he showed up and she ran to him. I remember the feeling of her tears hitting me in the face as she ran past me, not acknowledging my feelings at all. It hurt, but I never cried about stuff like that. My demon heart wouldn't allow it. I curse this weak human heart. I curse it for bringing all these damn emotions on me. They hurt… really badly.


	2. An Ayame Encounter

**Thanks everyone for the reviews. They're much appreciated and here is your next chapter. Sorry it took me so long.**

**Chapter 2**

**Five Years Later…**

Ayame bounded quickly along the forest floor. Her red locks blew in the breeze behind her and her heart pounded quickly in her chest. In the grasp of her clawed-hand she held a woven basket of medicinal herbs that she had stolen from a village that is protected by a group of skilled bandits.

Ayame sprinted over a fallen tree and darted around all the forest debris. Behind her she could hear the thundering hoof beats of the vengeful bandits and that only made her heart race faster and her movements become quicker.

The persistent bandits of the village are known for their skillful ways of riding horses. No matter what Ayame did to throw the men off her trail they had always found a way to get passed it-- From leaping their horses over large fallen trees (that she had kicked over) to riding their horses up treacherous mountainsides (that she had lead them up). No matter what, she just couldn't shake them and to make things worse her strength was dwindling fast. She could feel her legs begin to slow down and her lungs beginning to work harder to keep supplying her air.

'_All this for a basket of herbs?'_ she mentally questioned herself.

Her legs began to ach and every quick step she took became more and more challenging. Her chest felt like it was going to explode and her throat felt dry and sore.

'_Please, body! Don't give up on me yet!'_ she inwardly pleaded, for if the bandits caught her they would surely skin her alive. She could only wonder how the hell their horses could still be running strong.

She could sense them coming closer. She could feel the vibrations of beating hooves in the earth.

Ayame came to a full stop and turned around. She could see the galloping bandits getting closer to her by the second with swords, bows and arrows, and spears in their hands.

She cracked her knuckles before she collided her fist into the ground. A hard tremor boomed in the ground as a result of the impact of her fist. A tornado of leaves and twigs then raged up and engulfed the galloping bandits, making them invisible. Ayame breathed a sigh of relief. Her tired body ached and her cheeks flushed.

'_It's over. No way can they get past that.'_ She smiled. However that smile quickly faded away into a look of shock when, not one or two, but _all_ the bandits emerged from her twister of forest debris.

'_You got to be kidding me,'_ she thought bitterly to herself.

Ayame turned away and ran once more. However, she didn't make it far until she felt a sharp pain in the back of her calve. She gasped for air and she felt her legs completely give up on her. She watched as the ground grew closer and closer until her body slammed into it with full force. The basket slipped out of her grasp and the medicinal herbs spilled out all over the ground.

She stared at the base of a tree that stood just in front of her eyes. The pain grew and it was then that she realized that she had been shot by something. What that something was she didn't know exactly. An arrow or a spear, something the like of that. She did know for sure that whatever it was, it was lodged into the back of her leg and that her blood had begun to run down her leg.

The men pulled their horses up and surrounded Ayame. They looked down at her with great interest and marveled at how beautiful her hair was.

"It's too bad you're a demon. You're a pretty little thing," Ayame heard one of them comment. This little comment caused Ayame to grit her teeth in annoyance. She could feel each and every one of their critical eyes run along her body. How badly she wanted to carve all their faces out with her claws, but alas, her exhausted body refused to cooperate with her and would not move.

Suddenly she felt a rope drape around her neck and another one wrapped around her feet. The men on the other end of the ropes pulled them tight and maneuvered Ayame over so they could get a good look at her face. She saw them all. Staring at her with a mixture of lust and murder. She did her best to mask her fear, but when you're tied up and out numbered one to forty it's hard to keep your chin up.

"Now what do you think you're doing stealing from our village like that?" one of them spoke up. The man who spoke was also the bandit who held the rope around Ayame's neck. The bandit began to back his horse up so the rope around Ayame's neck would pull tight. The rider who held the rope around her feet also began to back up as well making it impossible for Ayame to get up or even squirm for that matter. Then the other bandits walked toward her, their spears and swords drawn and aimed at her.

Ayame could feel the rope around her neck bite into her skin and squeezing her windpipe shut. Tried as she might, she could no longer get a breath in. Seeing that her situation was hopeless, she shut her eyes tightly and waited for the inevitable pain of multiple spears and swords to impale her body. However, unbeknownst to any of them, a pair of shocked eyes watched them from the top of a cliff.

One of the bandits stepped down from his mount and walked toward Ayame's head.

"Keep the ropes tight," he ordered before he held his sword high overhead. He paused for a second before he brought the sword down for her neck. However, his intention of beheading the female demoness came to a halt when a voice stopped him.

"Hold your sword!" a voice boomed out, causing the sword to come to a halt about an inch away from Ayame's neck. The bandits turned their attention up toward the top of a cliff where their respected leader stood.

Ayame did not turn her head. She couldn't. The rope around her neck was still pulled tight, preventing any movements of her neck. However, Ayame's eyes noticeably widened when she heard the man's voice. It sounded all too familiar. Her eyes saddened when she pictured the face of the demon that the voice resembled.

'_I must be delirious. That man's voice almost sounded like… No. It couldn't be. He's dead,'_ Ayame thought remorsefully to herself.

The man who had ordered the bandits to stop wore a hood that darkened his face and made it almost impossible to see. He sat upon the back of a strong, copper-colored mare with four white legs and a blaze down her face that expanded at the muzzle and colored the whole muzzle white.

The man's brown eyes softened when he took site of Ayame's battered from.

'_Ayame, what have you gotten yourself into now?'_ he thought to himself. He then nudged his horse toward the steep, sloping mountainside. The horse obeyed without question and took two steps over the mountainside. She then sat back on her hindquarters and slid down the sandy slope. The passenger on her back sat skillfully and kept a loose rein on the horse as the pair surfed down the vertical slope of sand and rock.

Within seconds the steed's light-colored hooves stepped onto the flat ground. The man nudged her onward and she complied without question. When the mare approached the group of bandits, she came to a stop to allow her rider to dismount from her back. The group of bandits quickly stepped aside so their leader could pass through without a problem.

"Itsuji, sir. Why did you stop us?" one of the men asked. However their question went unanswered as the man known as, Itsuji passed him by.

Itsuji continued through the crowd until he reached Ayame. He nodded to his men as a sign to walk their horses forward to loosen her ropes. Ayame's body fell limp on the ground and a loud gasp escaped her mouth as air was finally granted to her lungs. He stared into Ayame's face and she stared back.

Ayame couldn't quite make out the hooded man's appearance, but she could feel his tentative eyes staring at her. He moved his hand and her eyes immediately flickered onto the appendage. He kneeled down beside her and began to reach out for her neck. This act made Ayame become very alert and her primal instincts kicked in.

"You stay away from me!" she growled. When her demand fell upon deaf ears she began to panic more. She struggled against the ropes and tried to crawl away from the hooded man. Seeing this caused the bandits to tighten the ropes again to cease Ayame's struggling.

"Let me go!" she shouted in a panic stricken tone. The man's hand came to a rest on Ayame's shoulder. The bandit holding the neck rope pulled it tighter to prevent Ayame from latching onto his leader's arm with her fangs.

Before Ayame could comprehend the hooded man's intentions, he squeezed the pressure point in her neck. She instantly slipped into darkness and her struggling stopped.

* * *

The bandits watched in awe and shock as their leader scooped the demoness up in his arms and began to carry her back to his horse. 

"Boss what're you doing?" one asked.

"She's a demon," another pointed out.

"She's the one that stole from our village," another said.

Itsuji stopped and turned to his men. Even though the hood shaded his eyes, his bandits still flinched. They could feel the power and intensity of their boss's eyes as he glared at each and every one of them.

"This isn't your concern. Clean up this mess and meet me back at the village. I'm going on ahead," he ordered. The bandits asked no more questions and proceeded to clean up the stolen herbs that had fallen to the ground.

Itsuji gently laid Ayame across his mare's back. She snorted eagerly when he put his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle. Once he was settled behind Ayame, he lifted her up so that she straddled the mare's back and leaned against his chest so he could be sure she wouldn't fall. He then turned his horse in the direction of home and with a slight squeeze of his heels, the mare galloped off.

* * *

The feeling of a bandage being wrapped around her calve caused Ayame's emerald eyes to slowly flutter open from her unconscious state. She found herself lying on her back on some sort of mat on the floor, staring up at a wooden ceiling overhead. 

'_I'm in a hut?'_ she mentally questioned the obvious. She groaned as she slowly began to raise her heavy head.

Ayame became fully alert when a fearful gasp reached her pointed ear. She brought her eyes to lock gazes with a fear-stricken woman who had just finished wrapping Ayame's wounded leg. The scent of fear radiated off the woman in waves.

"Uhh," was all Ayame could muster as she stared into the face of the scared human.

"Please," The woman pleaded. "Don't kill me. I was ordered to treat your leg. Please!" the woman begged, obviously very convinced of Ayame being a bloodthirsty demon. Ayame stared at the woman with a quizzical look on her face.

"N-no, I don't want to hurt you," Ayame assured as she reached her hand out to place it on the woman's shoulder. However, the lady took one look at the deadly sharp claws at the end of each oncoming finger and flinched away.

"No! I have kids! Please don't kill me!" the lady cried as she began to crawl backwards away from Ayame, bowing her head in mercy.

"You have it all wrong!" Ayame exclaimed as she tried to crawl closer to the lady.

Before long the woman unconsciously backed herself into a wall on the far side of the hut, all the while begging for mercy for her life to be spared.

Ayame tried to put on her best smile in an attempt to calm the lady down and show her that she is in no danger, but the site of Ayame's deadly fangs poking out over her bottom lip just made the woman's face pale and she looked stricken with horror.

Not being able to take any more of "staring death in the face" the woman screamed and leapt up to her feet. She then dashed out the entrance of the hut, never looking back at the "dangerous" demoness.

"No wait!" Ayame called out, but the woman had already made it outside.

"I just want to know-" Ayame limped over to the entrance as quickly as she could, wincing the whole way.

"Where…I am," she ended with a sigh, seeing that the woman was nowhere in sight.

Ayame took that opportunity to examine her environment outside. She confirmed to herself that she was in some village. She took notice of a large wooden wall that surrounded the village, obviously to protect its inhabitants from demons outside. The wall stood high, much too high for Ayame to leap over with one leg. She then scanned the wall for any exits. She frowned when she saw that the only gait was not only latched up tight, but had five armed guards standing in front and probably behind it.

Ayame sighed in defeat, seeing that her chances of leaving the village are slim to none. Even if she did try to escape she would no doubt be spotted. Everyone around her has black hair, brown eyes, and wore human clothes. While she has red hair, green eyes, wears armor and is clothed with white wolf fur. The thought of just slaughtering everyone also was a no go. That would just stir up trouble for her clan and besides; _he_ wouldn't want her, or any other wolf-demon to kill humans.

* * *

"Itsuji!" the woman called out as she briskly approached the bandit leader. 

"Itsuji, sir. Please forgive me. I was tending to her wounds like you ordered. But she woke up! I ran for my life!" the woman exclaimed. Itsuji sighed inwardly, knowing full well that this would happen.

"I'll take care of it," he assured with a small smile on his face. The woman bowed her head in respect before she left to start on other daily chores.

* * *

Ayame had settled herself back on the mat where she woke up, but did not dare let her guard down. She sat up with her knees tucked into her chest and her eyes trained on the wall on the opposite side of the room. However, the sound of footsteps coming toward the entrance of the hut caused her eyes to snap off the wall and toward the entrance. She growled when that hooded man from before stepped inside, his face still concealed within the shadow of his hood. 

"What do you want with me?" Ayame questioned boldly, not showing any fear in the face of this lowly mortal. The man began walking toward her and with each step he took, Ayame's boldness began to falter. He stood at his full height, not a bit afraid of the demoness before him.

Ayame narrowed her eyes and growled in a failed attempt to intimate the mortal, but it was to no avail.

"Listen you! Don't come any closer or I'll kill you!" Ayame warned. She heard a small chuckle erupt from deep in the man's chest.

Feeling mocked, she pulled her lips back in a feral snarl and growled louder. Her green eyes flashed with anger.

"I mean it!" she warned again in a louder tone.

"You haven't changed a bit, Ayame." Ayame's face paled and her expression became stricken with horror when she heard that familiar voice.

'_That voice.' _She stared at him. Her eyes wide with shock and her feral appearance had faded completely.

"How do you know my name?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"You wouldn't kill me," the man stated bluntly, ignoring Ayame's question. Ayame's anger flared up again at this statement and she charged at him, having had enough of the cocky bastard.

The limp in Ayame's stride decreased her speed greatly. This allowed the man plenty of time to pull his hood away to reveal his face to the wolf-demoness.

Ayame gasped loudly at the site of the man's face and she came to a complete stop before she began backing away. When she felt the wall come into contact with her back she dropped to her knees and stared at the human wide-eyed. Her face resembled one who might have just seen a ghost.

"N-no. Impossible," she managed to say in a very breathy, hushed voice.

"Remember me?" he asked.

"I-it can't be. You're dead. You're dead!" she said in that same hushed voice, all the while shaking her head in disbelief.

"Do I look dead?" he questioned cockily with a smug smirk plastered on his features. Although, that smug smirk instantly disappeared when he caught site of the tears brimming the redhead demon's emerald eyes.

"It can't be!" Ayame cried out. Her bottom lip trembled and internal pain reflected in her eyes.

"It's me, Ayame. Kouga," he said as he took his place on the floor in front of the trembling demoness.

"Kouga!" Ayame wailed. All the pain and sadness she had pent up in her heart over the disappearance of her love came pouring out at that instant and she threw her arms around the man who she holds most dear.

She held him like that for quite awhile. She had buried her face into his chest and cried her relief. She hardly took notice that he had yet to returned her embrace, but that was the last thing on her mind. The fact that Kouga's unknown death was just a myth was enough for Ayame not to care about anything else.

Ayame inhaled Kouga's scent, however, the scent caused her to let go of Kouga and look him straight in the eye. Their eyes locked and different emotions played across both of them. Kouga's eyes held a sense of pity and understanding, but Ayame's held different. In her emerald eyes Kouga saw disbelief, sadness and love.

"Your scent's changed. Y-you smell almost…" She paused, not being able to continue her sentence.

"Human?" he finished for her.

Ayame squinted her tearful eyes as that little fact sunk in and she hesitantly nodded. It was then that she actually took notice of Kouga's eyes. She searched for his bright, beautiful blue eyes. The ones she looked into as a child when he rescued her from the bird-demons all those years ago. The eyes that had never lost their flare of life. They are the eyes that she recognized first when she saw him again for the first time in a long time in her failed attempt to bring him back to her tribe to get married. But she didn't find those same blue eyes. Instead she found herself looking into deep, brown eyes. Eyes that had been greatly affected by the sight of battle and seemed colder. They had obviously been exposed to betrayal and great depression.

"And your eyes. They've changed," she whispered as she reached up to cup his cheek.

Kouga never broke eye contact with Ayame and he made no response to the clawed hand on his cheek. He just sat still and let the demoness examine his change. In truth he had always wondered how a wolf-demon would react to his change. He had always imagined anger, hatred, betrayal, which are none of the feelings Ayame was expressing.

"Oh Kouga, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" she questioned in a hushed tone. A stray tear had made its way down Ayame's cheek when she saw Kouga's eyes grow colder at her questions. He lowered his head, adverting his eyes off of Ayame for the first time since he walked into the hut.

"It's a long story," he whispered. This had spiked Ayame's curiosity all the more and she lowered her head in attempt to catch Kouga's eye again.

"I have time," she said softly. One name spilled from Kouga's lips and an angry flame sparked within Ayame.

"Kagome," he whispered.

"She did this to you!" Ayame shouted, feeling angry with herself that she had ever considered that mortal bitch as someone she could trust.

"I'll kill her!" Ayame declared angrily. She stood up and stormed toward the entrance of the hut, ignoring the pain in her injured leg. The feeling of revenge overpowered the pain.

"She didn't do anything, Ayame," Kouga said softly, though loud enough for Ayame to hear. Ayame stopped just in front of the entrance of the hut. She turned her face back to see a now very depressed looking Kouga who stared down at the floor. She could not see his face on a count of the loose hair that hung down in his face, but she could feel the pained and slightly angry aura rising from his being.

"I did this… to myself," Kouga continued. He missed the shock expression sweep over Ayame's face at his words.

"Kouga, you didn't…?" her heart clenched with jealousy and sadness and she bit back the last part of her sentence. She tried to fight back the new set of tears that began to force their way past her eyes.

"You did this for her." She took a breath, which sounded ragged and forced.

"Didn't you?" Ayame more stated then asked.

"You gave up your wolf-demon pride for her," Ayame lowered her head before she continued.

"She rejected you, huh," she said softly. Ayame winced as she heard a sad sigh come from where Kouga sat.

The pair fell into silence for a moment, both thinking of different things. Kouga thought about that horrible day when he confronted Kagome and she turned him away, forever changed both inside and out. And Ayame couldn't get the fact out that Kouga must've truly loved Kagome to completely alter who he was for her. The fact that he would never do anything like that for her made Ayame's heart lurch.

"So is this where you've been over the past five years? Living here with other humans while everyone has been out looking for you?" Ayame asked, unable to believe the former chieftain's betrayal on his people. Kouga nodded, still unable to meet Ayame's gaze.

"Kouga, everyone thinks you're dead! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Ayame shouted, her temper rising.

"That's probably for the best. If the wolf-demons found out what I did they'd never forgive me. They'd be ashamed of me. I let them down, Ayame. I can never look them in the eyes again," Kouga said remorsefully. Ayame made her way back over to Kouga and sat down in front of him.

"Is there anyway we can change you back?" Ayame asked. Kouga raised his head to meet Ayame's concerned gaze once again.

"That witch I went to said that she couldn't reverse the spell. Unless I can find another way I'm stuck like this," Kouga said quietly. Ayame lowered her head when a scary thought came to her mind.

"Kouga, how long do humans usually live?" she felt afraid to learn the answer.

"About fifty years," Kouga replied. He grimaced when he took note of Ayame's wince. To demons, fifty years isn't very long at all. To Ayame, Kouga dieing in around fifty years was much too soon.

"How old are you now, Kouga?" Ayame hesitantly questioned. Kouga took on a thoughtful appearance before answering.

"Y-know, I don't know. I was 182 when I was a demon, but that's way too old in human years. I've been told that I look 19-20, so I just tell people that that's how old I am," Kouga explained.

Ayame simply nodded her head. She still found it quite hard to believe that the once strong, fast, beautifully-dangerous, wolf-demon she once knew had been reduced to a being who has to rely on a grass-eating beast to get around and must cook and cut their food in order to be able to eat it.

Her green eyes narrowed when another thought came to mind.

"Kouga, I heard your men call you Itsuji earlier. What was that all about?" Ayame questioned. Kouga's eyes saddened at her question, knowing full well that she wouldn't like the answer.

"Because I'm not Kouga anymore. I changed my name so no one would ever find out about my past. The villagers don't need to know who I once was," Kouga said quietly, taking in the array of different emotions that reflected across Ayame's face. But the one that stood out the most was anger.

"What do you mean you're not Kouga anymore? You'll always be Kouga!" Ayame exclaimed, not being able to believe her ears.

"How can you say that? You were the leader of the Eastern tribe! One of the most powerful wolf-demons around! How can you just put that behind you? It doesn't make sense!" She protested.

"That part of my life is over now, Ayame!" Kouga scolded, silencing Ayame's berates of protests. He sighed when she stared at him with eyes filled with hurt and disbelief.

"Don't you get it? I'm not a wolf-demon _anymore!" _he continued.

"I made a mistake, Ayame. And now I have to pay for it," he said, using a serious tone in his voice. Ayame fell silent, not sure of what she could possibly say next.

"So…" she began. "That's it, huh? You're going to live out the rest of your days as a human? You're giving up?" she asked, knowing full well that taking a stab at Kouga's ego was the way to get his confidence up. Her theory was proven wrong when Kouga just shrugged off her failed attempts to egg him on.

"The Kouga I knew wouldn't have given up that easily," she whispered as she turned her face away.

"Yeah well, the Kouga you knew is gone. You're talking to Itsuji, not Kouga. Whether you want to accept that or not is up to you. It doesn't matter to me," he spoke firmly, determined to get his negative point across. He watched as Ayame stood and limped her way over to the far corner of the room. His expression fell when he saw her tuck her legs into her chest and buried her face into her knees, refusing to look at him.

He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out someway he could make her understand. When nothing came to mind, he stood up to his feet and walked toward the entrance.

"You can stay here until you fully recover," were his last words to her before he excited the hut.

* * *

In a village far in the north, a miko could be found crouching down in a vast open field. The grass stood waist high so she would not be able to be seen if it weren't for her red and white priestess clothing. Small children frolicked around her, randomly calling her name for petty reasons like examining a caterpillar or explaining different flowers they'd come across. Unable to answer all the questions at once, she would simply smile to humor them or occasionally laugh, which seemed to satisfy them enough. 

"Excuse me, miss," a voice caught her attention. She stood to her feet to come face to face with a young man who appeared to be the owner of the voice.

"Can you tell me where I can find a priestess named Kikyo?" he asked.

"I am Kikyo," she spoke softly and lightheartedly.

"Oh, well then I have a message for you," he informed as he began shuffling through his pockets. Kikyo eyed him curiously when he pulled out a small piece of ruffled, tattered paper. He blushed slightly as he noticed the condition that the letter was in as he handed it to Kikyo. After receiving the message, she smiled warmly at the boy.

"Who is it from?" she asked. The boy rubbed the back of his neck out of shyness under Kikyo's comforting smile.

"Your sister, Keade," he replied. Kikyo's eyes widened slightly. She and her younger sister have not spoken in years and are about as far apart as dark and light. What would Keade possibly ask of her?

Kikyo dug through the pockets of her hakama to pull out a small amount of yen to pay the boy for his trouble. She would've paid him more but at that day in age money was hard to come by unless you're wealthy, which Kikyo is not.

"For your trouble," she said as she placed the yen in the boy's hand. He smiled brightly and happily thanked the priestess before he went on his way.

Kikyo opened the letter to read what her sister had to say.

_Kikyo, _

_As you know I have grown old and I have fallen ill. _

_It was our mother's death wish that we are there for each other in our final days. _

_I understand we have grown apart, but I would like to fix the wounds of the past, if you will allow it._

_-Keade_

Kikyo's eyebrows knitted together in thought. The thought of returning to that village troubled her. She couldn't count the days of how long it had been since she walked the dusty path of the village. The villagers would surly feel shocked to see her again, but most of all; the thought that had her feeling most skeptical was Inuyasha.

It was no mystery to her that he had taken Kagome as his wife. She had vowed silently to herself that never again would she look him in his beautiful golden eyes. The eyes that once held love only for her now looked to another. It pained her. Though, the death wish of her dear mother weighed more in importance then the thought of seeing her past love.

"Kikyo?" a small voice questioned. She felt a pair of small hands tugging upon her long sleeve and she looked down to see her favorite of the children staring up at her with big, curious, brown eyes. She knelt down to become eyelevel with the boy.

"You're not leaving us are you?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Kikyo rested her hand on his shoulder.

"It'll only be for a while," she said softly.

"But you can't leave!" he protested. "I-I won't let you!" he cried.

Kikyo smiled sadly. The boy went by the name of Touzai and during Naraku's destruction, his parents were killed, leaving him orphaned and to be under the care of the village doctor. But he looked up to Kikyo most for comfort and strength. No matter how scary the demon, or how bad a situation seemed, she would always remain strong and calm.

"I promise you, Touzai. I won't be long," she assured. Her heart wrenched when Touzai looked up to her face with eyes glazed over with unshed tears. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.

"Please forgive me, Touzai. But there is something important I must tend to. I promise I will come back," she said before she stood up and began wading across the field away from the small boy.

* * *

The next morning in the village, Ayame awoke still in the small hut. She directed her attention onto her wrapped leg and began to unravel the bandages. She smiled when she saw that her demon powers had completely healed the wound in her leg without leaving a single scar. 

Ayame climbed up to her feet and made her way outside of the hut. Her emerald eyes scanned around the area in search of the former wolf-demon, Kouga. She didn't see him, but what she did see were all the eyes of the villagers on her. They stared at her questioningly. Some were glaring and it made Ayame feel very uncomfortable.

Ayame chose to try and ignore their stares and venture out into the village. As she walked, she tried to pretend not to notice the villagers tightening their grips protectively on their children, or the farmers moving in front of their draft horses, or the small children picking up their dogs and moving away from Ayame.

Even though it was a little annoying, it did give Ayame a sense of satisfaction to see that the humans feared her. She considered showing her fangs to them or growling a little, just to see them jump, but decided against it.

Ayame continued walking until she saw a group of bandits standing around in a circle. She felt a little sickened to see Kouga standing amongst them. At one time he stood amongst wolves and wolf-demons just like that. This thought caused Ayame to narrow her eyes in disgust and continue on her way. Where? She didn't know, nor did she really care.

"Ayame!" Kouga suddenly called out to her. Before Ayame could catch herself, she spun around eagerly toward the voice. She could feel her face heating up when she saw Kouga and all his men staring intently at her.

"W-what do you want?" She asked in a way to try and cover up her embarrassing curiosity that she had just displayed.

"Come here," Kouga instructed calmly. Ayame almost obeyed immediately, but then paused.

"What do you want?" She asked again, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Just come here a moment!" Kouga demanded, obviously getting quite impatient. "It's not that hard to do!"

Ayame growled at Kouga's rude demands.

"I need to ask you something!" Kouga shouted. Ayame eyed the men behind Kouga who still watched her intently. In no way did she want to be near them again if it could be helped.

"Then ask me, but they have to leave," Ayame stated hotly. She could feel the multiple stares of all the man becoming cold and unwelcoming. Obviously they did not care too much for her attitude toward their leader and being shafted aside. But Ayame ignored them, and kept her eyes on Kouga.

"Fine," Kouga agreed as he began walking toward Ayame.

"But Itsuji sir!" One of the men protested. "Are you sure that's wise? She could-" He was silenced by a cold, menacing back glance from Kouga.

When Kouga approached Ayame, she spoke first.

"So what is it, Kou- I mean, _Itsuji_?" Ayame asked bitterly.

"My men and I have been talking and we want to ask you a favor." Kouga began.

"A favor?" Ayame questioned while she quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. See there's a village about ten miles away from here with bandits that rival us. About a month ago they snuck in one night and stole a very precious and valuable possession from the village shrine. I plan on sneaking in there tonight, but I can't do it alone. I also can't take my men because the fewer of us there are, the less noticeable we'll be. The strength and speed of one demon is more then the equivalent of ten men. So if it's just the two of us, we can get in and out without too much trouble. It would be a lot more efficient if it was just the two of us, so what do you say?"

Ayame stared coldly at Kouga, but inside she was considering what he had said.

"Why should I help you? After you betrayed our people and made a mockery of wolf-demon pride?" Kouga winced at Ayame's harsh words and fought back the urge to shout at her.

"Because you owe me." If she was going to strike at his nerves, he'd do the same.

Ayame scoffed.

"Owe you? I don't owe you a damn thing! What have you ever done for me!" Ayame's anger fired up.

"Oh?" Kouga inquired, now unfazed by the angry demoness before him. "_Now_ which one of us forgot about the lunar rainbow?"

Ayame's jaw dropped with disbelief. How dare he brings that up now.

"I saved you that time. I protected you against that giant ball of hair, and I was there to save your tribe from Kyoukotsu. You owe me and you know it."

_SLAP!_

**That's all for now, folks. Sorry it's kind of short, but I want to get to work on my other stories that I have been completely neglecting for months! Thank you for all your kind words on this story and putting up for it's ridiculous hiatus. You will get more chapters during this summer, I promise. Hopefully I can finish this story during this summer so you won't have to wait for more chapters when my school starts up again. (Yay! Only one more year of school for me!) Take care everyone!**


End file.
